Porter Goss: “today we begin the arduous but crucial task of establishing our Nation's defense priorities for the coming fiscal year.…”

“today we begin the arduous but crucial task of establishing our Nation's defense priorities for the coming fiscal year. Today's rule is the first cut, attempting to address some of the major issues while leaving room for further discussion down the road. I take heart in the notice at the top of today's list of amendments, which reads ``any amendment not printed on this list is still available and may be included in the next rule'' because there are massive gaps. One area of tremendous concern is the President's latest policy shift on Haiti--another zag in the ongoing zig-zag of administration attempts to resolve the Haitian crisis. The President has announced we will begin processing Haitian refugee claims on the high seas, or perhaps in third countries, but the Coast Guard has no instructions on implementing this policy shift. Many of my colleagues believe this new policy is a bad idea and, coupled with the impending tightened the U.N. embargo, will lead to mass exodus from Haiti. There is real disbelief about renting cruise ships as processing centers, especially when cheaper and safer solutions exist. Meanwhile, this policy does nothing to address the long-term problem of stability in Haiti. The administration is sliding ever further down the slippery slope toward military intervention, without a clear mission and with no clue about how to extract ourselves once we are there. This would be a tragic mistake.”